As the boundaries between virtual and physical realities continue to converge through moving images, visual storytelling is steadily expanding into new territory.

The 16th Beijing International Film Festival has officially announced the Guest Curator of the Boundless ∞ Immersive Section, along with the Final Juries for the Virtual Reality Film Competition Unit and the University Honorary Selection. The invited guests come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, with experience spanning film, art, animation, gaming and technology. Drawing on their diverse expertise and perspectives, they will evaluate and select immersive works that exemplify innovation and reflect the cutting edge of contemporary media.

Boundless ∞ Immersive Section Guest Curator: Huang Bo

From classical cinematic language to the expansion of narrative forms, and further to experimental practices enabled by emerging technologies, the evolution of immersive visuals is grounded in a continuous re-examination of the medium. As a platform dedicated to exploring the frontiers of visual storytelling, the Boundless ∞ Immersive Section continues to invite Huang Bo—actor, director and contemporary artist with extensive industry experience and a forward-looking artistic vision—as its "Guest Curator"..

With a long-standing presence in film and the broader arts, Huang Bo has progressed from a widely recognized actor known for his nuanced character portrayals, to a director exploring incisive narratives on human nature, and more recently to an artist engaging with contemporary media such as moving images, sculpture and installation. His creative practice continues to evolve across disciplines.

Last year, in his debut as Guest Curator of the Boundless ∞ Immersive Section, Huang Bo presented his audiovisual installation Play, which opened the programme and set the tone for the section. By exploring the relationship between moving images and spatial perception, the work encouraged audiences to move beyond simply watching images to experiencing them from within. Over the past year, Huang Bo has continued to deepen his work across acting and directing while maintaining a genuine curiosity toward emerging narrative forms. His sustained cross-disciplinary exploration resonates with the continued growth and refinement of this year's section.

This year, that alignment will once again help guide the Boundless ∞ Immersive Section forward. As Guest Curator, Huang Bo will present a new work within the programme. Stay tuned.

Virtual Reality Film Competition Unit

Final Jury

China Film Administration's Notice on Promoting the Orderly Development of Virtual Reality Films has now been in place for one year. Over the past year, supported by this policy framework, the virtual reality (VR) film sector has experienced rapid growth, giving rise to a number of noteworthy works. To better spotlight frontline creative talent, this year's Boundless ∞ Immersive Section introduces, for the first time, a dedicated "Virtual Reality Film Competition Unit". It aims to identify benchmark works that have been incorporated into China's VR film industry standards system and that demonstrate both distinctive artistic vision and a high level of technical execution. Three honors will be awarded: Best Virtual Reality Film, Best Immersive Narrative and Best Interactive Experience.

In light of the increasingly cross-disciplinary and evolving nature of VR filmmaking, the final jury brings together professionals from film directing, fine arts, animation, gaming and visual effects. They will assess entries based on innovation, narrative coherence and their exploration of the medium, helping the selected works reach a wider audience and platform.

Huo Tingxiao is a professor and doctoral supervisor, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association and President of the China Film Art Direction Academy, and a distinguished film art director. He has contributed to more than 30 films, including Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower and The Battle at Lake Changjin. He is a multiple recipient of major awards including the China Film Golden Rooster Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards and various international honors, and is widely recognized as a leading figure in China's film art direction field.

Zheng Dasheng is a film director and currently serves as President of the Shanghai Film Association and Vice President of the China Film Directors' Guild. His recent directing credits include 1921, Beyond the Clouds, The Eternal Wave and Secret File.

Chen Liaoyu is a professor at the Beijing Film Academy and an animation director. He served as chief director of the animated anthology Yao–Chinese Folktales, and as producer and artistic director of the animated feature Nobody, as well as writer and director of Foodiverse. His works have received numerous domestic and international honors, including the "Five top Projects" Award (for cultural products), the Magnolia Award, and recognition at the Zagreb Film Festival.

Zhu Feng has been active in the entertainment industry for nearly three decades, with professional experience spanning AAA game development and major Hollywood film productions. He has long focused on the study and application of IP development methodologies, and has developed a set of core principles and practical approaches for building high-impact IPs. His project credits include films such as Transformers, Star Wars, Alita: Battle Angel and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, as well as games including Call of Duty and Gears of War.

Li Shuai is a Visual Effects Director at MORE VFX. His representative credits include nearly 30 films such as A Writer's Odyssey 1&2, Decoded, The Wandering Earth II, Operation Moscow, Mozart from Space, Detective Chinatown 3, Double World and Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield.

University Honorary Selection

Final Jury

This year, the Boundless ∞ Immersive Section has elevated its University-Themed Creative Projects into a University Honorary Selection initiative. The program is designed to identify and recognize emerging creators in immersive media who demonstrate strong technical capabilities, outstanding artistic sensibility and forward-looking humanistic thinking, while also fostering an innovation platform that bridges industry, academia and research to support future breakthroughs in visual storytelling.

Submissions are divided into two categories: XR works and immersive spatial works. The final jury comprises experts from the fields of art, film, technology and VR creation. Bringing together diverse perspectives, the jury will evaluate each entry's overall potential in terms of conceptual innovation, spatial expression and experiential design.

Cao Fei is a Chinese artist with a strong international presence. Her work integrates social commentary with pop aesthetics, drawing on surrealist approaches combined with documentary techniques to reflect the rapid transformation of contemporary Chinese society. Her works have been exhibited at major international biennials and triennials, as well as leading museums in China and abroad.

Li Xun is a senior researcher at the China Film Art Research Center (China Film Archive) and the initiator of the XR Section of the Beijing International Film Festival. His research focuses on film aesthetics, genre films and XR. He ever served as an executive committee member of the Tiantan Award, a juror for the Golden Goblet Awards and the Golden Rooster Film Section, and Artistic Director of the Hainan Island International Film Festival. He has also contributed as a planner or advisor to films including Full River Red and Long Day's Journey into Night.

Wang Lina is a director and screenwriter. Her film A First Farewell won Best Feature Film awards at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Generation Section of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Her work Village · Music has been selected by international film festivals in Pingyao, Moscow and Munich. She has also served as jury president of the Tehran International Short Film Festival.

Hua Xiaofeng is President of HTC's China operations. With extensive experience in the communications and virtual reality industries, he has held positions at multiple Fortune Global 500 companies. She has long focused on smart hardware, connected devices, XR and the metaverse, covering product development, software, ecosystem building, content, cloud services and investment, and serves as an expert advisor to several industry organizations.

Fan Fan is the founder of VIMO XR, as well as a VR director, producer and creator. In 2020, his work Killing A Superstar won Best VR Immersive Story at the Venice International Film Festival, making him the only recipient from mainland China to receive this honor. He has since released more than 40 works, including Fengqi Luoyang VR and The Three-Body Problem VR, with cumulative box office revenue exceeding RMB 100 million. He founded VIMO XR in 2024.

The "Boundless ∞ Immersive Section" brings together 11 industry representatives with diverse backgrounds and sustained creative practice. Their participation injects fresh momentum into exploring the frontiers of the field, elevating emerging works, and strengthening the forces driving industry development. As spring breezes stir the treetops at Langyuan Station, immersive media is likewise opening new horizons and continuing to grow along its path forward. The "Boundless ∞ Immersive Section" looks forward to working with its distinguished guests to navigate ongoing transformations across film, art, technology and gaming. Through this newly established competitive platform, it aims to set industry benchmarks and help usher in a new narrative paradigm—one shaped by the convergence of gaming and cinema—while further exploring the expanding possibilities of immersive media.